I was reading an article by Seth Godin the other day about fitting in vs. standing out. From Seth’s article:

They can tell you what to wear to that restaurant or this conference or that funeral. It’s not that difficult to figure out how to fit in. If fitting in is your goal, you should be sure to get great advice on how to do that.

Standing out, of course, is trickier. Stand out too much and you’re a jerk or a fool.

Clothing is not the point. You have this choice to make in everything you do, from your career to the words you use in a sales letter.

I have said this many times; everything you do is a choice that tells everyone about “you” and your character. After reading the article, I realized there is another way to view it.

Following vs. Leading

You can find thousands of articles online to tell you “how” to do something. If you need to read those articles, you are a follower in that area or niche. You are essentially reading an article to catch up to what everyone else is doing in that niche or field. That, to me, is very similar to Seth’s “fitting in” example.

Leaders are not following. Leaders are writing the articles first, paving the way for others. By the time anyone is close to catching up to the leader, the leader is on to something else. Leaders stand out, but original thoughts are not always good thoughts are they? Leaders mostly make the right choices. No one is perfect and a wise leader learns from his or her mistakes.

Because a wise leader realizes if he or she makes a mistake, many people will follow the wrong path as well.

Knowing the Difference…

Knowing whether you are fitting in or standing out/following or leading will make a huge difference in your business or online success. Most people are not leaders, but that does not mean a follower or someone fitting in cannot be successful or even rich. Trying to go about success taking the wrong path will most likely lead to failure.

In the end, it is all about strategy.

A leader is paving the way and essentially standing out. A follower is part of a pack, or fitting in. This does not mean that someone in the pack does not see a way for improvement and, after trying to make the change(s) within the pack, branches out to do it their way, starting something new.

A person that copy cats a concept, business, product or service is not doing anything new. The person is attempting to be a leader following the same path the original leader went. That is following. If the person were doing something new and innovative, improving on the original, that is how things evolve and get better or time. Pushing the limits over what is currently available and making it better. If there is a demand for the product, service, idea, etc. the person becomes a leader, learning from the experiences he or she had as a follower.

Whether you can pull off branching on your own or being a leader is directly dependent on your character.